Last night my father-in-law very graciously offered to purchase me a new camera & lens in appreciation for the hours I put into taking pictures and putting together books for family vacations. (He knows that I'm very disappointed with my Kodak z712is and that I was drooling over my BIL's Nikon D200 while we were in Jamaica.) My first instinct was to get an entry level DSLR - but then reality set in over night. *sigh*

Reality is that I rarely get a chance to shoot without trying to keep an eye on my two small children (2 & 4 yrs old) at the same time. Which means manual mode rarely happens. When I got my current camera I was actually looking for a pocketable camera with 5x or better optical zoom. It has taken some doing for me to manage dealing with an SLR-like camera and the kids, since I can't just slip it in a pocket when I need to grab a wayward child. And the 12x on my current camera has gotten me hooked on the "super zooms" I love being able to grab those long shots. (just wish this camera didn't have such horrid problems with focus!)

So unless there is an entry level DSLR with a compact "super zoom" type lens out there I've not heard about, I'm thinking a pro-sumer SLR-like camera is what I'm going to be looking at.

If you had $1000 to spend on a camera, including accessories what would you get?

First of all, your in-laws must really love you to offer such a generous gift. Three years ago I bought a canon rebel and loved it so much that when the rebel xti came out I immediately bought 2,one for me & one for my daughter . It takes wonderful pictures and is small & light weight enough to carry without feeling weighed down. If your unable or choose not to use the manual mode than put it on auto & enjoy !!! Its easy to learn and & is really user friendly. You can go to the camera store & buy a dvd on how to use it and all its functions. Also theres a nice book at Barnes & Noble to help also if you need to know more than the manual it comes with. Theres a new rebel that just came out & its under $1000.00 plus comes with a image stabilization lens. I really think for the price & what you need it for you would be extremely happy with it (especially being lightweight when your with the kids) plus you can add lenses to it when you choose. When i take it with me for a day outing or on vacation I pack it all in my camera backpack by Lowepro and throw it on my back & I dont even know its there. I can walk for hours without having a backache & on the airplane it fits nicely under my seat or in the overhead compartment so I can have it in my sight at all times. As you may of guessed, im in love with my camera. Good Luck !!!

I had a prosumer with my sony f828. Loved that camera and took 19,000+ with it.
Now I have the canon xti...loving that too, although, I often have the wrong lens on. In time, I'm sure I'll be better organized with that.
My friend has a sony 12x opt. zoom (I think it is hd_5, maybe) Anyhow, the size is not too big and it takes beautiful photos.
m

Jane, I still wish I had gotten the Canon xti or waited for the new sti, I think thats the new model, instead of the heavy 40D. Since Snowfall already went into it I won't. I have the original Rebel to and love it. If you are worried about have the camera around your neck on a neck strap and it flying around if you have to dart after one of the kids, get a harness camera strap. That will keep the camera secure in front of you instead of flinging around as you move.

Jane, an alternative to dSLR may be just what you need. The big advantage to SLR is the ability to change lenses and the full range of user controls. When you are chasing preschoolers at the same time you are taking pictures, it's hard to take advantage of those features.

Two that I would want to look at if I was buying are Panasonic and Sony.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8K is a 7.2MP camera with a 12x Leica optical zoom lens (f/2.8 - 3.1). It has optical image stabilization in connection with ISO control (whatever that means). Cost is around $350. (http://www.panasonic.com)

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9/B is similar: 15x Carl Zeiss zoom lens (f/2.7 - 4.5) with optical image stabilization and 8.1MP. It has a ton of other features (http://www.sonystyle.com). Cost is around $480.

There are a lot of other choices, Canon has some good ones.

I know you don't live near big cities but I really think you need to get into a big, full-service camera store where you can touch and hold and ask questions of a knowledgeable salesman.

Rusty

Kim,
Whats a camera harness strap? I've never heard of that but i want one

Thanks for the input. Yes my in-laws love me, and are very generous with our family.

The new Rebel XSi looks very promising and since I don't have to make a decision right away (next major trip isn't until Feb 09 when we go on a Panama canal cruise with them) I have time to wait and see what the price will be on it after it has been out for few months.

I'm also kind of hoping to see an upgrade to the Cannon S5is. Several other manufacturers have 18x and 20x zooms in the 10mp range out now, so I'm guessing Cannon is going to have to step up if they want to stay competitive.

The biggest advantage that I see to a DSLR is the shutter speed. Shutter lag drives me nuts, and is one of my biggest pet peeves non-DSLR digiscams. But I don't know if it is worth the additional money. I have to say that my first thought last night when hubby relayed the msg was - "I'll get and S5 and see if I an add CS3 to the package."

Yup Rusty I think a trip up north to visit John might be in order - maybe he can take me to his favorite camera store. Or maybe Bill can since he lives up in the big city too. Maybe I can convince Gail to ride along with me or pick-up Jeff along the way.... This could be fun!

Jane, the superzoom P&S cameras are nice (I have one - the Canon S3IS) but there are compromises in lens quality when you try to use one lens for a long range. Even the DSLR super zoom lenses get some criticism (I just read a rather tepid review of the Nikon 18-200 mm VR, a very popular lens among the Elements crowd). The optics just can't perform over such a wide range.

But shutter lag is by far the biggest annoyance for me. I currently use a Canon 30D DSLR and a Canon G9 P&S. The G9 is a very nice camera, but it still has that annoying lag. And with kids, that lag represents priceless moments lost.

I would recommend you look at some of the more compact DSLR's talked about here: Nikon D40/D40x, Canon Rebel line, and others, as discussed in other notes in this thread.

Jane,
Lucky you. Any possibility of me being adopted by your in-laws?.....
Chuck is dead on with his assessment of going with a Canon RebelXTi or Nikon D40x or D60.
Olympus has an all-in one point and shoot with an 18X zoom lens. No lenses to lose or change. Just another option to consider. My first "serious" digicam was a Nikon Coolpix 5700 and I never regretted buying it.
Chas

Chuck - I was excited to read that such a lens existed until I read the review on it at DP. Guess nothing is perfect. And that is exactly the sort of lens I would need to have on a DSLR most of the time, since switching lens just isn't going to be happening.

Kim - I've never seen a harness, but it sounds like an interesting option. I have bonked my kids a few times with my slr-like camera already. Hmmm - maybe that's why it has such problems focusing....

Another question - I've not seen it mentioned anywhere so I'm guessing not, but do the entry level DSLR's have movie mode? I actually use mine quite a bit - it's about the only thing my Kodak does half way decently.